Northampton Saints v Gloucester: Big match preview

Venue: cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton

Date and kick-off time: Saturday, November 30, 2024, 3pm

Weather forecast: 13c, showers

Live television coverage: discovery+

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe

Assistant referees: Joe James and Simon Harding

No.4: Greg Macdonald

TMO: Martin Fox

Saints: Furbank (c); Hendy, Litchfield, Hutchinson, Sleightholme; F Smith, James; West, C Langdon, Davison; Munga, Coles; Scott-Young, Pearson, Augustus.

Replacements: Wright, Iyogun, Green, Lockett, Pollock, Mitchell, Dingwall, James Ramm.

Gloucester: Carreras; Wade, Llewelyn, S Atkinson, Thorley; Anscombe, Englefield; Rapava-Ruskin, Singleton, Fasogbon; Clark, Thomas; Clement, Ludlow (c), Mercer.

Replacements: Blake, Knight, Gotovtsev, Alemanno, Ackermann, Chapman, Harris, Hathaway.

Not considered for Saints selection: Emeka Atuanya, Sam Graham, Callum Hunter-Hill, Josh Kemeny, Burger Odendaal, Toby Thame, Robbie Smith.

Most recent meeting: Saturday, May 11, 2024: Saints 90 Gloucester 0 (Gallagher Premiership)

Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson: "Gloucester have had a huge change in their attacking focus and they're top pretty much in all of the attacking metrics this season in terms of line-breaks and offloads and tries scored from 22. They've been excellent and very, very dangerous. It's a very big challenge to come straight into off the back of the PRC (Premiership Rugby Cup)."

Gloucester head coach George Skivington: "A huge number of those boys (who played in the 90-0 defeat to Saints in May) are now a make-up of the starting first team that has played the start of the season. They got some tough experience there, they saw the Premiership at it's most ruthless but they all seem to have come through this year and are blossoming and I'm really positive about that young group. Never forget that game, I don't think anybody will."

Opposition dangerman: No.8 Zach Mercer is always a big threat and he has enjoyed games against Saints in the past. He will look to get Gloucester some go-forward at the Gardens.

Tom Vickers' prediction: Gloucester actually sit above Saints in the league standings going into this game, having bagged eight bonus points already this season. They have a much stronger side than when they came to the Gardens back in May, and they possess a far more dangerous game plan with a desire to attack from everywhere. But Saints have some big players of their own back and will have belief in front of their own fans. Saints 34 Gloucester 29.